It was my first visit to Theatre Peckham, a place I had only heard about, a community theatre that had been creating a buzz for some years and one that was really put on the map when the world heard that Star Wars Superstar John Boyega learnt his art here, writes Michael Holland…
Walking down Havil Street I could see the theatre’s lights shining like I was walking down Broadway. This is a theatre that has come a long way and wants everyone to know it.
Theatre Peckham looks quite new and the bar/foyer area was full of people out for a good time – A Scroogelicious time – and they got it.
In this update of Dickens’ classic Christmas tale of greed and redemption, written by Geoff Aymer, Ebenezer Scrooge is a Peckham local who was a nice boy when young but was lured over to the dark side with the bait of big money by Marlene Jacobs, a property developer who taught Scrooge to fill his own pockets at the expense of everyone else’s health and happiness: ‘If you can’t pay, be on your way’ became his mantra.
In this version for today’s world, the community feels threatened by rent rises and their beloved market in jeopardy of being redeveloped. Scrooge doesn’t care for the locals or for the forthcoming Christmas for that matter, even when those he loved drift away leaving him friendless and alone in his luxury apartment.
A ghost appears via his voice-controlled assistant when he asks it to play some cool jazz and gets the first shock of a long night when he hears the voice of his deceased former business partner and mentor instead. That was just the beginning of the end of Scrooge as we know him. More ghosts were to pay him a visit before the morning came.
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But in amongst the familiar tale, we get some local flavour in the way of problems at the care home, gentrification, social cleansing, and coffee shop chains taking over Rye Lane, and all played out to a backdrop of iconic club classics and new songs written for the show, with Mr Scrooge and Scroogelicious being two of my toe-tapping top tunes.
KM Drew Boateng is a little bit special as Ebony Scrooge, singing and dancing his way from being despised by all to being welcomed back into the bosom of the family, with moves that included a deft Moonwalk and a tidy little taste of Jackson’s Thriller. Ellie Clayton, a cheeky-faced charmer, also gave a good turn as Chris Prezzie in this adaptation that is perfect for not just SE15 but any urban environment.
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This is community theatre at its best, for alongside the seasoned professionals are many young members of the Theatre Peckham Academy, and all are given the chance to shine. And I believe we saw some future stars out on that stage grabbing that chance.
Theatre Peckham, 221 Havil Street, London, SE5 7SB until 23rd December 2022
Box Office: Tel: 020 7708 5401
Times vary. Refer to the website for further information, please visit: www.theatrepeckham.co.uk
Age guidance: suitable for all ages.
Running Time: 2 hours with interval
@TheatrePeckham (Twitter), @theatrepeckham (Instagram), TheatrePeckham1 (Facebook), #Scroogelicious
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